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(No ModeL) T. 0. JOHNSON. TEMPORARY CARTRIDGE HOLDER.

No. 580,176. Patented Apr. 6, 1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEETQE.

THOMAS C. JOHNSON, OF NE\V HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THEW'INCHESTER REPEATING ARMS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

TEM PORARY CARTRIDGE-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,17 6, dated April6, 1897.

Application filed October 22, 1896. Serial No. 609,701. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS C. JOHNSON, of NewHaven, in the countyof New Haven and State of Connecticut, have inventeda new Improvement in Rupturable Temporary Cartridge-Holders; and I dohereby declare the following, when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to bea full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which saiddrawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a side view of a rupturable temporary cartridge holderconstructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a View thereof inrear elevation; Fig. 3, aview thereof in front elevation; Fig. at, aview in vertical cross-section on the line a b of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a viewin rear elevation with the paper seal of its rear end removed; Fig. 6, adetached view of the said seal; Figs. '7 and 8, views of modified formswhich my improved holder may assume.

My invention relates to an improvement in temporary cartridge-holders ofthe class which provide for the convenient segregation and handling of agiven number of cartridges constituting the charge of abox-magazinefirearm, the object being to produce a holder adapted to be operatedwith extreme facility and to be produced at such small cost that it maybe thrown away after it has been once used.

With these ends in view my invention consists in a rupturable temporarycartridgeholder formed of inelastic or substantially inelastic materialand adapted to be scaled up for the retention of its charge ofcartridges and to be ruptured for their expulsion by spreading pressureexerted in its plane.

My invention further consists in certain details of construction andcombinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed outin the claims.

I11 carrying out my invention, 'as herein shown, I fold a suitable blankofinelastic or substantially inelastic material so as to produce aholder which I may describe as having a line of rupture or divisionwhich lies in its plane and which permits the holder to be ruptured andbroken down and unfolded for the expulsion of the cartridges, as will befully explained later on. As herein shown, the holder, which is U-shapedin cross-section, tapers in width and thickness from its rear to itsforward end and is open at its bottom and closed at its top and at itsrear and forward. ends.

The main fold of the holder is at its top, and in the holder shown itsline of rupture and unfolding centrally intersects its rear and forwardends. By preference I shall form the holder of very thin soft sheetmetal, so thin and soft, probably, that the cartridges can be distinctlyfelt through it by the fingers.

I may, however, choose to employ paper in place of metal or I may usesome composition in place of either paper or metal.

As herein shown, the side walls A A of the holder are formed withinwardly-extending oppositely arranged longitudinal corrugations to,these corrugations being forwardly inclined to correspond to thetapering form of the holder from its rear to its forward end. Theopposite corrugations coact to form, as it were, longitudinalpartly-cylindrical pockets B for the reception of the respectivecartridges, the holder shown having five of these pockets, and I mayhere remark that five cartridges is the number generally selected toform the charge in a box-magazine gun, although of course that numbermay be varied without affecting my invention. The closed top of theholder, where its main fold A is, is crowning, while its bottom is open,as at A The lower edges of the side walls A A of the holder are struckinwardly to form two longitudinal cartridge-retaining ribs A A locatedopposite each other and sufficiently closing the opening A to preventthe chance or unassisted expulsion of the cartridges. The side walls A Aof the holder are also formed with two corresponding locating andspreading flanges A A, located directly op posite each other andassisting in the right location of the holder upon the firearmpreparatory to the expulsion of the cartridges and also assisting in theinitial rupturing of the holder for the expulsion of the cartridges,inasmuch as the flanges then act as levers for prying the side walls ofthe holder apart.

The forward ends of the side walls of the holder terminate in integralinwardly-turned leaves A A which come nearly but not quite together, andwhich coact to form the forward end wall of the holder, while the rearends of the said side walls are formed with integral leaves A A, theedges of which come nearly but not quite together, and which form therear end wall of the holder. The narrow spaces A and A between the edgesof the leaves A and A represent the lines on which the holder isruptured and broken down and unfolded, and on which also it is initiallyfolded.

The sealing of the holder after it has been charged with cartridges, toadapt it to retain the same and preserve its integrity as a sealedpackage under all ordinary conditions of transportation and handling,maybe effected in a great variety of ways and by the use of a greatvariety of sealing mediums, whether formed integral with the box orindependently thereof and applied thereto.

, The holder shown is sealed through the leaves A A and A A beforementioned by means of strips 0 and O of paper, which are secured by somesuitable adhesive to the outer faces of the said leaves in such a manneras to hold the same together, and consequently form seals for theholder. The said leaves, together with the paper strips 0 and 0, formthe end walls of the holder and take the endwise thrust of thecartridges, which are thus prevented from longitudinal.displacement. Thepaper strips are made of sufficient strength to stand under all ordinaryconditions of usage, but tear readily under the endwise rupturingpressure imposed upon them by spreading the open inner end of the holderfarther open by inward pressure exerted in its plane by crowding itinward from its closed top. The paper does not tear or rupture all atonce, but little by little or progressively in the order of theexpulsion of the respective cartridges from the holder.

In the place of the paper seals I may employ seals formed of strips ofeasy-ripping cloth applied by a suitable adhesive to the leaves A A andA A of the holder in the manner described for the paper strips; or I mayemploy, as shown in Fig. 7, sealingstrips of paper or cloth extendingtransversely across the rear and forward ends of the holder and lappedover the outer faces of the side Walls thereof and taking the places ofthe said leaves, the cartridge-holding function of which would then beperfomed solely by the sealing-strips.

In place of sealing-strips of paper or cloth I may employ any of thewell-known sealing mediums, such as solder, or glue, or cement, eitherapplied locally 2'. e., on and along the predetermined lines ofruptureor wiped on in a film over the parts to be sealed. Still. anothermode of sealing the holder would be to provide it, as shown in Fig. 8,with integral or applied fingers or points arranged to be interlockedwith each other or engaged with portions of the body of the holder, soasmodicum of cement, sealing the holder and rupturing under pressure.

However these holders are made and however they are sealed, they arefirst charged with cartridges and then sealed up, and then packed inboxes fortransportation, and afterward stowed away in the belt of theuser, from which they are removed one by one, as occasion requires.

To charge his gun, the user takes a charged holder from his belt andapplies it to the gun, upon which it is rightly located, as it were,with the assistance of the locating and spreading flanges. Then with histhumb on one side of the holder and his fingers on the other sidethereof he crowds the holder toward the gun with sufficient force torupture it in its plane and first spread its open bottom still furtheropen. Under this pressure the seals begin to rupture and allow the sidewalls of the holder to spread apart or unfold, so as to free thelowermost cartridge, the expulsion of which from the holder he feelsthrough his fingers. The pressure being continued, the side walls of theholder are still further spread apart to release the second cartridge,and so on, till all the cartridges are expelled. During this process theuser will gradually open his hand to receive the side walls of theholder, which are curled or rolled outward. When the last cartridge hasbeen expelled, he simply removes his hand from the gun and allows theexhausted and useless holder to fall to the ground. On account of thethinness and softness of the material entering into the composition ofthe holder the user is permitted to know through the sense of touch 110wrapidly the cartridges are being expelled into the box-magazine, andthis greatly facilitates its accurate manipulation and the charging ofthe arm.

In view of the suggestions of change herein contained and of otherswhich may obviously be made I would have it understood that I do notlimit myself to the exact construction herein shown, but hold myself atliberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within thespirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rupturable temporary cartridgeholder, adapted to be applied to theexterior of a magazine-firearm, formed of inelastic or substantiallyinelastic material, open at its bottom, and sealed at its ends, for theretention of its charge of cartridges, by seals which ICC are rupturedunder predetermined conditions of pressure for the expulsion of thecartridges, the entire sides of the holder progressively spreading apartor opening outward as the cartridges are successively expelled.

2. A ru pturable temporary cartridge-holder formed of inelastic orsubstantially inelastic material, having its side walls shaped to formvirtually separate pockets for the respective cartridges, and sealed byseals which are ruptured under predetermined conditions of pressure forthe expulsion of the cartridges.

3. A rupturable temporary cartridge-holder formed of inelastic orsubstantially inelastic material, closed at its top, open at its bottom,provided at its bottom with corresponding locating and spreadingflanges, and one or more seals, located at its ends, which are ruptured,for the expulsion of cartridges, under certain predetermined conditionsof pressure upon the holder, the sides of which are progressively spreadapart, after being started by the said flanges, as the cartridges aresuccessively expelled.

4. A rupturable temporary cartridge-holder formed from inelastic orsubstantially inelastic material, tapering in width and thickness fromits rear to its forward end, having its top closed and its bottom open,provided at its bottom with cartridge-retaining ribs and with locatingand spreading flanges, and provided with one or more seals which arerupturable, for the expulsion of the contained cartridges, under certainpredetermined conditions of pressure tending to spread the bottom of theholder open first.

5. A rupturable temporary cartridge-holder of inelastic or substantiallyinelastic material, closed at its top, open at its bottom, provided atits bottom with corresponding locating and spreading flanges, and havingits side walls provided at their rear and forward ends with leaves whichvirtually form the rear and forward end walls of the holder, and sealsapplied to the said leaves for sealing the holder under normalconditions, but rupturable, for the expulsion of the cartridges, undercertain predetermined conditions of pressure exerted in the plane of theholder, the side walls of which progressively spread outward as thecartridges are successively expelled.

6. A rupturable temporary cartridge-holder formed from inelastic orsubstantially inelastic material, having its top closed and its bottomopen, its side walls formed with longitudinal corrugations formingvirtually separate pockets for the respective cartridges, provided withlocating-flanges located at the lower edges of the said side walls,having leaves formed at the rear and forward ends of its side walls andturned inward to form end walls, and furnished with seals consisting ofstrips of paper applied to the outer faces of the said leaves andrupturing, to permit the expulsion of the cartridges, when the holderissubjected to spreading pressure, tending to open its inner end,bycrowdingit upon a firearm in its plane.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS C. JOHNSON.

XV itnesses:

DANIEL H. VEADER, V. S. BALDWIN.

